The original post was: “All supermarkets could do with better stands - secure loops, not wheel stands.”
Lack of decent (or any) bike parking is a real barrier to popping to the local shop to pick up a few groceries.
The wheel-bender rack at Pak n Save is one of my least favourite - the design makes it really difficult to securely lock your bike. Despite its inadequacy, this stand is constantly in use.
Just down the road, Countdown South Dunedin has recently redeveloped their bike parking, offering an array of generously-spaced, sturdy ‘Sheffield’ stands (the arch-shaped ones you can easily lock your frame to). What’s more, it’s undercover! Though the massive bollards are slightly in the way, they do serve the vital purpose of preventing other shoppers from using the bike stand as a trolley park.
Also encouragingly, after having zero bike parking for as long as I’ve been here, Mornington Countdown has recently installed two of these (bike stands, not kids):
I’ve found that the best way to advocate for better bike parking is to contact the individual stores. I was able to get the contact details of the managers of both Countdown branches via their online chat service, ‘Ask Olive’.
